Moonchild, the lead developer of the Pale Moon browser writes:
"Dear Web Developer(s),
While, as a software developer ourselves, we understand very well that new features are exciting to use and integrate into your work, we ask that you please consider not adopting Google WebComponents in your designs. This is especially important if you are a web developer creating frameworks for websites to use.
With Google WebComponents here we mean the use of CustomElements and Shadow DOM, especially when used in combination, and in dynamically created document structures (e.g. using module loading/unloading and/or slotted elements).Why is this important?
For several reasons, but primarily because it completely goes against the traditional structure of the web being an open and accessible place that isn't inherently locked down to opaque structures or a single client. WebComponents used "in full" (i.e. dynamically) inherently creates complex web page structures that cannot be saved, archived or even displayed outside of the designated targeted browsers (primarily Google Chrome).
One could even say that this is setting the web up for becoming fully content-controlled."
https://about.google/: "Our mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful"
Useful to... whom?
(Score: 2) by Pino P on Monday March 23 2020, @03:58PM
Provided the budget allows both. It appears that in many cases, the budget for a minimum viable product (MVP) allows for only a fully server-side rendered front end (with occasional progressive enhancement) or only a single-page front end, not both. And the following thought experiment may explain why budget-crunched web app developers end up choosing the single-page architecture over a noscript-friendly architecture:
I'd like to see how a web-based text chat client, as a front end to IRC or a replacement for Discord or Slack, could be made to work efficiently without client-side script.